Rear-signal device for automobiles



STANLEY FLOWERS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENN$YLVANIA, ASSIGNOR.OE ONE-THIRD TO J. LEWIS PALLEY AND ONE-THIRD TD JOHN PENNSYLVANIA.

REAR-SIGNAL :onvion ronnu'rorionirns.

Application filed April 3, 1922. Serial No. 548,911. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STANLEY, A. FLOW RS,

' a'citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered the new, useful, and I Improved Rear-Signal Devices for Automobiles, of which the following is aspecification;

My invention consists in a new and improved'rear warning device for motor vehicles. V

The desirability of displaying a warning signal at the rear of a vehicle when the vehicle is about to slow down to stop or turn aside is generally recognized, and rear stop lights, which shine when the brakes are applied, have come into use. These signal devices involve the use of an additional electric bulb to'which current is supplied, by night and day, whenever the brakes are applied. The'result is an additional drain on the storage battery which is objectionable." .Attempts have been made to usethe taillight of the vehicle for displaying the cautionary signal but the construction of the same has been such that the results have been unsatisfactory, the normal function of the tail light being usually interfered with and the cautionary signal being confused and more or less unintelligible.

The object which I have in view is the provision of a tail light which may be successfully used as such, and also as a cautionary rear signal, preferably automatically operated in unison with the service brakes of the vehicle.

For the accomplishment of the purpose in 'view, I divide the lens of the tail light into two parts, preferably along thehorizontal axis of the same. One portion, preferably the upper portion of the glass is red, so that the'usual red light required by law is normally displayed at the rear of the vehicle, while the other portion of the lens is provided with a cautionary word or warning, such, for instance as Stop, Danger or Slow, either in red letters on a white back or ground or vice versa. In front of the lens is swingingly mounted an opaque shutter, the same being arranged, when in one position, to cover and conceal the cautionary portion of the lens, leaving the plain red portion exposed for the light to shine through, and, when in the other position to cover and conceal the plain portion and HEATON,'BOTH or PITTSBURGH,

exposethe cautionary portion for'the light to shine through. The shutter i's operateda t the will of the driver. Thus,it is preferably connected with the service" brakes nechanisni in such a manner that, whfle the vehicle is standing or traveling withth.

brakes oif, the shutter is in the position" first above mentioned, the tail light'shin'ing' red, as requiredby lawl -andjcustom, but when the service brakes are applied, the shutter is shifted to conceal the red glow of the' normal tail light and expose the cautionary signal. shutter is automatically reversed into. its first mentioned position.

I have also invented new and means, hereinafter illustrated, for attaching the rear license plate andill'uminating I I the same from the tail light. I e

Other novel features ,ofconstruction and When the brakes are released,the 1 arrangement-of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings," is a facev view of a tail light fitted with my invention, the shutter being shown.

in the position which. it assumes when and whilethe brakesare applied; Fig.2 is .a" similar view showing rthe normal position of the shutter when the brakes are released,

and Fig. 3 is a side elevation illustrating diagrammatically the operative connection of the shutter with the brakes. I q The following is a detailed description of the drawings, f V 1" A represents the tail light of a motor vehicleof any known type, providedwith an;

electric bulb 1 and a glass or lens closing a I the casing.

One portion 13, of thelens, preferably th e upper portion is of red or ruby glass sothat the bulb will shine the usual. red tail light,

while the other portion C, of the lens, pref erably the lower portion, has a cautionary warning display in contrasting color on th'e glass; either Wl'lltB letters on a red background or v1ce versa.

The cautionary warnlng may be the word Slow, for instance, as shown in Fig. 1.-.-

At either end of its horizontal axis the lamp casing is provided with a bracket '2 at-. tached to the casing and provided with horizontally disposed bearing holes ,3 in which are journaled the ends of the horizontally disposed rock shaft D which is thus disposed in front of the lens.

E is a semi-circular shutter of metal or other opaque material attached along its straight edge, as by soldering or welding, to the shaft D, so that as said shaft is rocked the shutteris moved from its position shown in F ig. 1 to that shown in Fig.2 andyice versa.

One of the ends ofthe shaft D protrudes and has rigidly .fastenedthereon a crank member 4 which-is bifurcated to receive the downwardly curved end of the finger shaft 5 which is pivotally connectedto the meme ber The fingerv shaft 5 is provided with ,a'fixed collarfi towardits curved end and its otherend is threaded to receive a nut 7.

, spectively. 25

8 is a loosely fitting collar slidably mounted ,onthe finger shaft 5, the helical springs 9 being coiled on said shaft'between the fixed collar 6and the slidablecollar S, and the said slidable collar 8- and the nut '7, re-

The collar 8- is provided .with an upwardly extending ear .10 which is securely attache'dto the rear end of the link "11 which extends forwardly and is connected'to'the arm 12ofthe brake equalizer shutter is in the position shown in Figs. 2

. the shutter drops into the position shown in noise.

and 3,but when the service brakes are ap- .plied the arm 12 swings forwardly, thus rocking theshaft D and shifting the shutter into the position'shown in Fig. 1 with the plaii'rred light obscured and-the cautionary 'warning. displayed and illuminated. As

soon as the brakes are released, the arm 12 resumes lts position shown in F g. 3, and

Figs. 2 and 3, obscuring the cautionary warmngand uncovering the upper portion of the lensto accomplish the normal tail light function.

' The springs 9 enable the shutter to be shifted w thout jarring or unnecessary fTomake the device of practical service in the daytime, when the tail light is not illuminated, I may paint or otherwise display in contrasting colors onthe shutter a warning such as the word Danger as shown in Fig; 1, so that when the shutter- .is thrown up by the application of the brakes and the eye of the driver ofthe vehiclefbehind is caught by the moving shutter, 'thecautionary word on the reverse side of the shutter will be read.

V .15 is a shaft having one end provided with set screws 17.

a flange curved to fit the lamp casing and pierced for riveting thereto. The shaft extends horizontally and is provided with collars 16 slidable upon said shaft and fixable in any adjustable positionbymeansof- Said collars are I provided with depending strapportions 18 to which the rear license may be attached. The wall.

of the lamp casing is slotted, as at- 19, to illuminate the plate.

What I desire to claim is y 1. A combination tail light and rearsignaldevice for motor vehicles consisting of a lamp casing adapted to contain a lamp and provided witha glass wall, said Wall being diametrically divided into two portions,.one portion being of solid color to producethe customary tail light effect While'the other portion is provided with an illuminable cau tionary signal, a shutter of proper sizeto" cover one portion of said glassat a time, said shutter being swing ngly mounted in front of said glass wall 1n such a manner that its axis is in substantially ,thesame plane as the line of demarcation between the two portions of said glass wall and.b e ing arranged to swing through half a; circle, and means convenient to. the, operator for swinging said shutter whereby when said shutter is in one'position the customary nal is covered but when the shutteris swung to its opposite position the taildightisflcov eredand the cautionary signal'isexposed.

2. A combination tail light and re'arsignal device for motor vehicles consistingof .a lamp casing adapted to .contain ia' lamp and provided withv a glass walla. Said Wain being diametrically divided .intotwo ,p r-

tions, one portion being of solid color ,to produce the customary tail light effect while 'the other. portion isprovided with anilluminable cautionary signal, a shutter of proper size to cover oneportlon of said glass...at.a time, said shutter being swinginglylmounfl ed in frontof said glass wall in such a manner that its axis is in substantially thesame plane as the line of demarcation between the two portions ofsaid glass ,wallandi being arranged to swing throughfhalf la circle, and means operatively connectingsaidshutter with the brake mechanism of 'ithemotor tail light is exposed and thecautionarylsigg vehicle in such .a manner that when the brakes are applied the shuter is'thrown to obscure the taillight and expose the cantionary signal and when the brakes; are re leased theshutter is thrown to obscure ithe cautionary signal and expose the taillight.

3. A combination taillight andrearsignal device for motor vehicles comprising lamp casing containing a lamp and ,pro- I vided with a glass wall, said wall'beingdivided into two portions, oneof said ,por-

' tions being colored to form the ordinary tail light While the other portion fis pro,

vided With a cautionary signal, and both i portions being continuously exposed to the 10 other position to obscure the tail light and display the cautionary signal, means Whereby theapplication of the ehicle brakes au-' tomatically turns said shutterv into the second named position, andmeans whereby the release of the brakes automatically returns said shutter into its firstnamed position,

signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 30th day of arch, 1922. g, i

STANLEY A FLOWERS. 

